We’ve Moved!

Mixed bag of job numbers midway through 2014

The Kitsap County unemployment rate fell to 5.1 percent by the
end of June, due mostly to continued decline in the labor force.
Meanwhile, the number of people working for Kitsap County
employers remained unchanged from 2013.

The decline to the labor force and slight increase in employment
dropped unemployment rate among Kitsap residents to 5.1 percent, a
full 2 percent lower than in June 2013.

On a positive note, 990 more Kitsap residents were employed
in June than in June 2013. For perspective, this chart shows
how Kitsap’s labor force and employment numbers have changed
over the past decade at the midpoint of each year:

The state unemployment rate (seasonally adjusted) fell to 5.8
percent last, the lowest rate in six years. The state also saw a
drop in its labor force, while adding a healthy 9,000
jobs.

Kitsap jobs

While more
Kitsap residents are employed this year, job growth within the
county has been slow.

Private employers added 400 jobs in June while federal and local
government agencies dropped a combined 300.

Kitsap companies and agencies employed the same number of people
last month as they did in June of 2013. Here’s a chart showing
employment in Kitsap County over the last decade at the
midpoint of each year: